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Benitez confirms Cole will stay at Chelsea

Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez has revealed that the club have reached an agreement with defender Ashley Cole over a new contract.

The 32-year-old had been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, with his situation thought to mirror that of Frank Lampard – who is set to leave upon the expiry of his current deal at the end of the season.

However, following the Blues’ 2-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, Benitez claimed that the announcement of a new contract for Cole is imminent.

“Now the club has an agreement with the player (we are) really pleased. The paperwork has to be done but the agreement is done,” he told reporters.

Cole arrived at Chelsea from London rivals Arsenal back in 2006, and has since made 284 appearances for the club.

Meanwhile, Benitez hailed the performance of Fernando Torres against Arsenal, despite the Spaniard failing to score.

“Fernando Torres was great,” he said.

“He was fantastic for the team. He was working so hard. We needed his effort, his runs, his movement to create the space for the second line.

“Obviously he didn’t score but he did a great job. The addition of Demba Ba is something we didn’t have before.

“For a month and a half we’ve had one striker, now we have two and that is great. It means we can manage the games and cope with a little bit more.”